


A Rock in the Storm

by HappilyUnconventional34



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, Soft Toph, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Toph is a good friend, Whumptober 2020, Zuko (Avatar) Angst, Zuko (Avatar) whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:54:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26843977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappilyUnconventional34/pseuds/HappilyUnconventional34
Summary: Toph tracks Sparky down to his private quarters however as she nears the door to his room she hears something, something that carries her the rest of the way to the door,  something that sounds like harsh gasps and muffled whimpers.Toph’s heart drops to her feet.It’s Sparky.He’s alone.And he’s crying.Whumptober Prompt 11(PSYCH 101): Crying
Relationships: The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 16
Kudos: 755
Collections: A:tla, Whumptober 2020





	A Rock in the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick oneshot for whumptober that I got done during break.
> 
> Note: My whumping this month will be like my thoughts, out of order and at times quite random.

Toph starts her morning off by hunting down Zuko. 

The Gang had been at the Palace for about a week for their quarterly visit and in that time Toph had barely seen hide nor hair of Sparky. He woke up before any of them, worked a majority of the day away and by the time he slouched to the guest room to spend time with them, he was always so exhausted that Katara would immediately shoo him off to sleep.

It kinda defeats the purpose to visit Zuko if they barely got to actually see him.

Well, not today. She was going to hunt Sparky down and force him to take the day off. And she would NOT take no for an answer.

Toph tracks Sparky down to his private quarters however as she nears the door to his room she hears something, something that carries her the rest of the way to the door, something that sounds like harsh gasps and muffled whimpers.

Toph’s heart drops to her feet. 

It’s Sparky. 

He’s alone. 

And he’s crying.

She can make out the soft vibrations of his silhouette, knelt on the floor against his bed, his head buried onto crossed arms as his shoulders heave.

What Toph can’t understand is why. Why was he here in his room crying by himself , when all of them were just down the hall? Why would he choose to cry alone?

Well, like hell Toph is leaving him alone. Not when Sparky thinks he can cry by himself when his friends are literally right _here_.

She’s not gentle when she opens the door. Better to spook him now than sneak up on him.

Zuko chokes on a sob and Toph hears the frantic rustle of his robes as he whips around towards her.

“Toph.” Sparky’s voice cracks like marble. Toph has to physically fight against every instinct in her that screams for her to find whatever it was that made her firebender sound like that and bash it until it **_bleeds_ **.

Instead, she slowly makes her way towards Zuko.

“Sparky. I was looking for you.” She approaches him as one would a wounded animal, careful and nonthreatening. She picks up on the shakiness of his hands as he wipes at his face.

“Y-Yeah. Sorry Toph. I, uh, just needed a moment alone.” Toph takes another step.

“Sounds to me like the last thing you need is to be alone.”

Zuko falls silent and Toph can pick up the unique switch in his heartbeat that tells her he’s embarrassed.

_‘You don’t need to be embarrassed when it's me.’_ She wants to scream, but she holds her tongue and continues walking towards him.

She is within reaching distance when Zuko jolts backwards, his heart racing. He stretches an arm out in front him, almost as if to ward her off, but Toph will not be deterred that easily.

“Don't shut me out, Sparky.” Her tone is firm. Zuko withers under it,

“Toph, I’ll be out soon, okay? Just….wait for me with the others. I- I just need a minute to compose myself and -“

“I’m not going anywhere, Sparky.” Toph says and Zuko crumbles.

“Toph, _please_. I can’t- I need - you shouldn’t see me like this. It’s shameful.”

And Toph knows that he means that, can tell he’s not lying. He actually believes that crying in front of her, in front of his friend, is something shameful. 

How many times had he told himself that? How many times had he deliberately hid away from them, so they couldn't see his tears? How long had he denied himself comfort?

There is so much wrong with that, so much that needs to be undone, so much that needs to be fixed. But Toph is only one person and she can only do so much.

So she does the only thing she can. She lazily bats his hand away, closes the distance between and wraps her arms around his shoulders, bringing his head to rest against her stomach in a loose embrace.

Zuko fights against it, at first, tense and unmoving in her hold. But his resistance lasts a mere moment and he melts fully into her embrace with a soft whimper.

“ _Toph_.” 

“It's okay. Just let it out, Sparky.”

And let it out he does, sobbing full force into her stomach, his fingers like vices where they clutch at the back of her shirt. His shoulders shake so violently beneath her hold,Toph is convinced that in this moment only her arms are keeping him together. 

So she holds him tighter.

“It’s too much Toph. It's just too much. I’m trying. I’m trying to fix it, but there is so much and it’s just so _hard_.”

She doesn’t need clarification. She knows exactly what he’s talking about.

Toph can’t make it easy. She can’t lighten Zuko’s burden. She can’t erase a century worth of hurt. She can’t heal a fractured nation.

But she can offer support. She can be a rock in the storm because she’ll be damned if she leaves him to cry alone.

“I know, Sparky. I know.”

“I need help. I-I need my uncle. But he- he’s happy at the shop and he deserves to retire and I can’t burden him - I just can't-“ and his words dissolve into unintelligible sobs.

Toph isn’t a soft girl. Her affection is served in sharp words and sharper jabs, but if there’s anyone she’ll make an exception for, it’s Zuko. She’ll be gentle if it's for him.

She runs a hand through his hair, lays her head on top of his and let’s him cry. 

She doesn’t let him go, even after all his tears are gone.

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
